The nearly 1,000 government owned chimpanzees are currently housed in five U.S. laboratories. While most of them are not being used in active experiments, they have been kept confined in cages at the labs, sometimes for decades, on the misguided belief by a few scientists that they may be needed for some catastrophic research in the future.

"The legislation also corrects the pain and psychological damage that apes often experience as a result of needless experiments and solitary confinement. This bill would place these apes in sanctuaries, which would provide them with a more natural, comfortable habitat while saving taxpayer money."

"Chimpanzees are no longer needed for research, yet we remain the only country besides Gabon to continue holding these animals in laboratories as possible subjects for invasive research," said Sen. Sanders. "I believe it is time to release these animals from the laboratories where they are currently housed and allow them to live in humane sanctuaries – a move that would create a sizeable savings to taxpayers."

If the lab has chimps it wants for experimental purposes it will need to find the money to house them. If they are not needed then the accounts department will ask what they are doing with them?

Scientists are generally a decent bunch, particularly those in the bio-science fields. If there are chimps being used to further the knowleg of say Altzimer's disease(sorry about my speeelling) then the staff will do what is needed to get that information, sod the chimps. But if they are not needed then the scientists are as soppy as the rest of us and would not keep these animals in poor conditions just for the sake of it.

Because the central government has direct ownership of laboritory animals rather than the various research organisations having their own stock with independant companies providing additional supply capacity.

It's a privatisation thing. That is the way it's structured here. It might have been different before Thacher.

It avoids polititians having to make decisions about how many chimps or mice to have as lab animals. Leave that sort of thing to the universities or pharmasuticle companies that want them.

Because the central government has direct ownership of laboritory animals rather than the various research organisations having their own stock with independant companies providing additional supply capacity.

It's a privatisation thing. That is the way it's structured here. It might have been different before Thacher.

It avoids polititians having to make decisions about how many chimps or mice to have as lab animals. Leave that sort of thing to the universities or pharmasuticle companies that want them.

The government does not own all of the lab animals, just these ~1000 chimps. Other labs can decide what levels they need.

_________________With friends like Guido, you will not have enemies for long.

“Intellect is invisible to the man who has none” Arthur Schopenhauer

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."Albert Einstein

Because the central government has direct ownership of laboritory animals rather than the various research organisations having their own stock with independant companies providing additional supply capacity.

It's a privatisation thing. That is the way it's structured here. It might have been different before Thacher.

It avoids polititians having to make decisions about how many chimps or mice to have as lab animals. Leave that sort of thing to the universities or pharmasuticle companies that want them.

I was under the impression that if a scientist wanted to use a specific animal for a medical experiment then provided the ethics committee agreed that it was apropriate and the budget was there he could do so without being restricted by blancket banns from central government.

I was under the impression that if a scientist wanted to use a specific animal for a medical experiment then provided the ethics committee agreed that it was apropriate and the budget was there he could do so without being restricted by blancket banns from central government.

Yes I'm sure, you need to drag yourself into the 21st century.

"Research on great apes - chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and orang utans - was banned in the UK in 1998"

I was under the impression that if a scientist wanted to use a specific animal for a medical experiment then provided the ethics committee agreed that it was apropriate and the budget was there he could do so without being restricted by blancket banns from central government.

Yes I'm sure, you need to drag yourself into the 21st century.

"Research on great apes - chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and orang utans - was banned in the UK in 1998"